The subject matter disclosed herein relates to the art of turbomachines and, more particularly, to a turbomachine blade having a tip portion including a squeeler pocket.
In general, gas turbomachines include a combustor assembly within which a fuel/air mixture is combusted to release heat energy. The heat energy forms a high temperature gas stream that is channeled to a turbine portion via a hot gas path. The hot gas stream flows over rotor blades that convert thermal energy from the high temperature gas stream to mechanical energy that rotates a turbine shaft. The turbine portion may be used in a variety of applications, such as for providing power to a pump or an electrical generator.
The rotor blades typically include an airfoil, having a pressure side and a suction side joined by leading and trailing edges, which guide the hot gas stream along the hot gas path. The airfoil is generally joined to a base portion having a dovetail mount. The dovetail mount provides an interface to a turbine rotor which, in addition to supporting the rotor blades, provides a delivery pathway for cooling air. More specifically, cooling air is guided from the turbine rotor into cavities formed in the rotor blades. The cooling air flows through the cavities to lower temperatures at the pressure side, suction side and the leading and trailing edges. In addition, rotor blades are formed with tip cavities that receive a portion of the cooling air. The cooling air passing into the tip cavity lowers temperatures at tip portions of the rotor blades.